“Better Than Nothing:”House Bill is Best Hope for Pot Research

Courtesy of Rep. Brenda Lawrence (Mich.)

Advocates for medical cannabis often call it a “wonder drug.” Some of them declare with full confidence that it relieves or cures all kinds of ailments, from headaches to cancer. But cannabis researchers in academia, while generally optimistic about the plant’s potential, are much more guarded. If pot ever gains acceptance in mainstream medicine -- for one ailment or a whole range of them -- it will be thanks to the work of academic researchers. Their work is central to the acceptance of cannabis in medical therapy. The trouble there is that, thanks to federal illegality, research has been severely . . .